Splintered Light
Chapter 10.4, It All Falls Apart

Linus Wheeler was an oddity aboard the Wave Rider; he had not been born to a seafaring family and he hadn't sought a life of adventure upon the sea.  He'd served aboard a few coastal hugging cabotage ships but he had never felt the urge to leave the land.  The Raccoon had been relatively content in his life back in Lehsunia and he was more than happy enough to work as a porter for land faring caravans bringing goods inland from the docks of Newport to the larger cities such as Graddin.

Things changed unexpectedly over a year past when chaos came to Newport.  Linus had been sharing a flat with his cousin Cyrus.  His cousin had been a student at the University of Progressive Understanding and his meager learning stipend had been just enough to help the two make the ends meet on monthly bills.  Unfortunately, in addition to a Wyranese peace keeping force occupying the docks and cathedral square, a riot of city folk marching on the UPU changed everything.

Life had taken some strange turns after an explosion at the university left his cousin blind and lamed.  The troops from Wyra left the city at the direction of a visiting Bishop, and the upheaval of the crown changing paws from father to son to brother meant that trade and commerce was disrupted as new laws and new national outlook created instability and disrupted business.  Between decreased work for Linus and Cyrus moving back to his hometown of Lilly-by-the-Lake, Linus could no longer support himself.  Considering his experience aboard cabotage vessels, transferring to a ship was the only logical option left for the destitute laborer.

His life had taken some strange turns and to find himself hired almost immediately by Captain Alistair Jacksoni was just another one of them.  What was even more of an oddity was how quickly he'd taken to the life of a seaman.  Granted, he often missed the joy of being able to go back to a home that didn't toss and turn with the surf but whenever he thought back to life in Newport he often realized that he didn't miss it as much as he thought he would.  Though not an adventurer at heart, Linus learned that he was well suited to it and he prospered aboard the ship.  His fellow crewmen became his family and the Wave Rider was all the house he needed; rather than being away from home while he worked, the Raccoon was at home wherever he went.

His commission as a sailor aboard the ship had been a godsend; even over a year later he was still eager to do anything and everything required to prove his worth.  His time working as a porter left him with a solid build and the natural dexterity of the Raccoons meant that he was a good combination of powerful and adroit; both were valuable when working aboard a ship.  He found himself raising to prominence as a valuable member of the crew and he'd even managed to make inroads with the various nationalist groups aboard the Wave Rider; it helped that he'd learned Wyranese and Ilysean during his time working on land, and Doelichian wasn't that different from Lehsunian so he'd gained and understanding of it while onboard.

His ability to get along with most of the crew and his strong work ethic meant that he was a common choice for any special activity, and boarding the abandoned 'Into the Unknown' was no exception.  He and the four other sailors selected for the job were brought to the starboard side of the Wave Rider as they maneuvered closer; a plank was stretched across the space between each ship, laid down onto the bulwarks.  It was on the Wave Rider's side that the boarding team assembled around the Captain, First-Mate, and Bosun.

It was the last of the three who spoke up.  "Sound off when I call your name.  Brown?"

Lucas Brown was a fellow Lehsunian.  Linus knew the Wolf had grown up in Graddin but had moved to Newport about the same time as the Raccoon had.  Unlike Linus, Lucas had been a sailor for most of his life.  The brown furred lupine stepped to the front of the group. "Right here, sir."

The Captain held out a red sash.  "You're in charge of the boarding party.  Look for any crewmen still onboard and get whatever information you can find.  At the first sign of trouble I want everyone back safely."

The Wolf saluted, which wasn't surprising since Linus heard that Brown had served for a few years in the navy.  "Aye, sir."

The Bosun continued with the sound-off as if he hadn't even paused.  "Smith?"

Tomas Smith was from Ilyse, and as far as Lemurs went he was tolerable.  A lot of people not in-the-know had the impression that Raccoons and Lemurs were somehow related, but they usually based their misinformation on the fact that both were striped; Linus, frankly, usually had trouble getting along with Lemurs since most were uptight, flighty, and bordered on neurotic.  Thankfully Tomas was much calmer than most of his kind and had a sense of humor that wasn't based on what the Wyranese called 'Schadenfreude'; most Lemurs got a kick out of the misery of others... just another reason why the Raccoon didn't much care for them.

Tomas also wasn't much of a public speaker, and tended to be to-the-point rather than a chatterbox.  "Sir."

Bosun Severna continued the role call.  "Wheeler?"

Linus stepped forward, keeping his own response likewise simple.  "Here, sir."

The Prong Horn continued with the list.  "Lews?"

The big, short haired Ilysean Dog was already at the front of the assembly so he didn't bother having to take a step forward.  "Right here, Sir."

Archie Lews was an acquired taste; although Linus had never had much of a problem with the big Dog a vast majority of the crewmen had taken a disliking to him.  In recent weeks, however, much of that had changed and he'd somehow managed to alter his entire outlook on life, going a long way toward changing the outlook of most of the crew.  While many of the sailors aboard the Wave Rider would have hated being assigned with him before whatever sparked his personality shift those assigned to the boarding party welcomed him with clasped paws and pats on the back; few seamen had the Dog's strength, which would be an asset when exploring the abandoned vessel.

The Bosun nodded to him and called out the last name.  "Avers?"

The Ilysean Badger stepped forward, shouldering another crewman out of the way so he could be front and center.  "Over here."

Collin Avers was a no-nonsense sailor, and, as the eldest of the deck hands he usually took it upon himself to press his seniority since he was also one of the men longest employed by the Captain.  He was also something of a realist so, while many sailors who had seniority would normally be upset about not being put in charge, Avers had no problem with it.  As far as Linus could tell, the Badger actually preferred to NOT be in charge since he didn't like to be responsible for any successes or failures beyond his own.

With the entirety of the boarding party together, the Bosun stepped back and gave Captain Jacksoni the gathered sailors' attention.  The Tiger stepped forward and addressed not just Linus and the other four chosen to go across, but everyone who was present.  "Gentlemen, we--"

He was interrupted by 'The Boar', who was still watching the flaggers on the shoreline.  "Sir!  They're messaging again!"

Captain Jacksoni patted the first mate on the shoulder before leaving.  "See to the boarding party."

The Jackal nodded.  "Yes, Rohn."

As usual, the first mate wasted no time mincing words.  Once the Captain was on his way the tribesman turned back to the five of them.  "It's a new board-- go across lightest to heaviest.  Find what you can and return to report."

It wasn't much of a briefing but, then again, it was a pretty straight-forward job, especially since they didn't anticipate anyone around on the other ship to object to their presence.  As per Ash-Moon's orders, the team went across starting with Mr. Smith and finishing with Mr. Lews; Linus went second.  One by one they set their feet down on the deck of the 'Into the Unknown'.  Based on what the Raccoon knew of ships and the task of keeping the wood in good order he guessed that nobody had done maintenance in weeks... maybe even a month.

When the remaining members of the boarding party touched down behind Lucas, the Wolf offered direction.  "Lews-- you're staying up here to help me secure the lines.  Linus... Smith... Avers-- you're going down below.  Look around and see what you can find.  Report back up here if there's any trouble."

The team separated once the direction was provided.  Linus didn't miss the fact that he was the only member of the group he called by first name but he didn't read too far into it.  The Raccoon glanced around on the deck as he made his way after the others to the companionway; there was nothing above board-- not only were supplies and cargo missing but everything ranging from lamps, lanterns, and low-hanging lines were completely absent.  It was a strange sight to see but Linus didn't waste any more time, heading down the stairs to scout it out below deck.  Smith and Avers were standing in the hallway between cabins, looking at one another.

The Lemur had an expression of surprise clearly on his muzzle. "Where is everyone?"

The Badger looked just as perplexed, but he had an answer.  "On the shore, probably... with everything from the hold-- this place is empty!"

Linus moved past them, squeezing by as he pressed himself against the wall.  "We're not thinking about what's not here-- we're looking for what might be."

It wasn't his place to order them around but if all they did was stand there without doing anything it'd make his job harder.  Fortunately, rather than argue they separated and began checking rooms.  Tomas did comment though.  "Assuming there IS anything here."

Splitting up would allow them to look around faster but after looking through the first three cabins and finding nothing that couldn't be easily carried off, Linus was beginning to think that the ship really WAS abandoned.  What ultimately DID get the Raccoon to pause however wasn't the fact that something wasn't nailed down, rather, it was the fact that something WAS.  The second to last cabin on the port side of the 'Into the Unknown' had a table turned sideways and nailed against the hull.  The worrying thing was that there was water all over the floor... several inches of it.

Linus walked into the room, trudging through the seawater as he went to inspect the table.  After only a few seconds he could tell it was a patch job-- a hastily done one that was decently executed for an emergency patch, but it was hardly a permanent fix.  Whatever had hit the ship had done some serious damage, and after thinking back to the sea creature that had rammed the Wave Rider the Raccoon had a pretty clear picture of what it must have been.  He ran a paw across the underside of the table, giving it a quick rap with his knukles; the nails were rusting through, which meant that the patch was less than a temporary fix; it was HAD been a temporary fix, but was one light tap away from giving way.  A moment later, the 'Into the Unknown' got more than a 'light tap'.

The Raccoon was flung off his feet when the ship shuddered, splashing down in the water a second before the table-- and a second and a half before the torrent of seawater that suddenly surged out of the now-open breach.  Sputtering, Linus scampered to his feet, completely soaked.  He coughed the water out of his face as he scrambled toward the room's door crying out as well as he could.  "BREACH!  WE'VE GOT WATER ON BOARD!"

It was all he could do to stay on his feet but Linus got through the door; the harder part was getting it closed.  Throwing his weight against the wooden frame, Linus pushed with all his strength.  It seemed like a feeble attempt at first but he braced his feet and heaved with every fiber in his being and, slowly, he began to win the fight against the water.  He exhaled his breath the moment the door closed; it wouldn't hold for long, but, for the moment at least, he'd slowed the seawater's advance.  The water seeping out was just an indication of what was to come, and he shouted again.  "GET ABOVE DECK!  WE HAVE A BRE--"

Another impact against the ship caused the door and the frame to explode and, in an instant, Linus was flung against the far side of the hallway and immediately underwater.  The Raccoon wanted to force his way to the surface but he was spun around by the impact and didn't know which way to swim; all he could see was loose bits of timer and tons of blood... and an enormous, pale length of rubbery flesh lined with suckers... and reinforced with metal plates.  He meant to struggle against the surge of water but his body didn't respond; only then did he realize that the blood in the water was coming from him.

Stuck in place, Linus clawed at the wood of the hallway's wall, trying to fight against the influx of sea but the only result was agony in his stomach.  His other paw went to the site of the pain in his gut-- and found a huge chunk of wood impaling him and pinning him to the wall.  The Raccoon felt a cold chill run down from ear-to-tail and he began to wonder if it was the feel of seawater replacing all the blood in his body.  The hot burning from his lungs related to air more than wood and the Raccoon tried in vain to remove the shard that kept him in place but he succeeded in nothing more than crying out, releasing half of his breath and wasting precious time.

The surging sound of water finally settled, replaced by the eerie silence of being beneath the waves, but it was interrupted almost immediately by the burbling scream of Avers, who shot past him, pulled down the hallway and out into open water by one of the numerous, rubbery arms.  Two more arms withdrew from their place further down the hall, each carrying a top or bottom half of Smith; Linus began struggling anew.  Another tentacle wriggled into the ship, and came straight for the Raccoon.  It succeeded where he had failed in pulling him off the wall, and suddenly Linus was no longer holding his breath, everything coming out in a cry of pain.

The enormous body of a sea beast was there to greet him, its gigantic, beak-like maw open wide.  The Raccoon's only comfort was in knowing he wouldn't drown.

* * * * *

If the first shudder from the 'Into the Unknown' wasn't enough to create some concern the second was more than enough... as were the cries and shouts from the crewmen below decks.  Archie had finished tying off the ropes to help keep the two ships connected so he drew his machete and ran for the door leading below deck-- only to be stopped by Mr. Smith, who stood between him and the companionway.  "Stop, Mr. Lews!"

The Dog did so, but he was quick to object. "They need help!"

The Wolf didn't relent.  "Get back onboard the Wave Rider-- I'll do what I can."

Almost as if god himself were giving Smith 'the finger', Archie watched as an enormous squid arm surged through the door separating the top deck from below and Mr. Smith was showered by timber.  The Wolf didn't even have a chance to recover from being assailed by splinters before the enormous tentacle had circled around his waist.  No... Smith didn't have a chance to respond, but Archie did, and he made the most of it.

The Dog set upon the tentacle with his sword, bringing the bladed weapon down in an overhanded chop.  The sword bounced off, hardly cleaving it in two as Archie had desired, but it did create a huge cut, revealing a metal plate buried part way into the flesh and it was enough to get a response from the creature.  The Dog was flung across the ship as it whipped into him and he collided with the bulwark, his blade skittering across the boards several yards away.  Mr. Smith let out a shout of warning, but that lasted only a moment before he was slammed head-first into the deck.

The squid drew its arm back into the water that was filling the area below deck; the Wolf was beyond the ability to struggle at that point, leaving a messy trail of blood with him as the smashed body was dragged across the timbers.  Archie realized that Mr. Smith had been right; it was time to leave.  He turned around to face the Wave Rider, only to realize that the sea creature had more than enough arms to be causing a problem over there too.  "Well damn it."

The sound of cannons firing from the shore complicated things even further.